Author Archives: Joshua Lager

Community Foundation Awards Grants

The Stanley Area Community Foundation awarded grants to seven different entities on Thursday, Nov. 15. $52,943 in grants was awarded to projects that will serve the community and the area as a whole. The foundation had nine applications totaling $187,000.

This year’s recipients were the Mountrail County Health Foundation for the assisted living project;  the Sibyl Center for the children’s summer theatre and carpet installation; Stanley High School for the speech team; Stanley High School for the drama club for props; the S.A.C.K. program for backpacks and food for children for weekends and extended breaks; Flickertail Village to replace shingles on buildings; and Opportunity Foundation for autism services equipment.

The Stanley Area Community Foundation was created in 2008 by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to create a permanent financial resource to support local nonprofit projects. The purpose of SACF is to maintain a permanent source of funding for projects in the community of Stanley and the immediate surrounding area. Gifts from many individuals are pooled together and invested in a permanent fund. Each year, the local advisory committee uses income from the foundation to make grants. As the foundation continues to grow, the amount they are able to give also increases. In their first year, grants totaled $4,676, raising to $35,594 last year. Including this year’s grants, the foundation has awarded $206,327 in grants.

Each year, SACF has seen charitable giving grow. Contributions in 2013 to the Foundation were about $320,000 bringing the total at the end of the year to just over $700,000. In 2016 the Foundation reached their target goal of hitting the $1 million mark. As that figure continues to grow, they can increase their giving. This year, the Foundation’s assets increased again to just over $1.5 million total.

As the end of the year approaches, many people are looking for charitable giving options and the Foundation board believes this is one way to donate locally and support the community. Grants awarded in the past have included Flickertail Village, Women of Today, Stanley Parks and Recreation, Stanley High School Vo-Ag, Ina Mae Rude Aquatic Center, Stanley Fire Department, Mountrail Community Food Pantry, Blue Jays Boosters, the Golden Age Club, the Rural Mental Health Consortium, Stanley FCCLA, Stanley DECA, the Stanley High School Band, Mountrail Bethel Home, Domestic Violence NWND program and Tri City CARES.

With changes to North Dakota tax laws, charitable giving to endowments and foundations has never been more attractive to the state’s residents. Both qualifying businesses and individuals can now claim up to 40% of their gift as tax credits on their state income tax. Those credits can also be carried forward for more than one year. With the reduction in the state tax and the credit that may also be applied to federal taxes, the gift is one that allows taxpayers to choose charitable organizations to receive tax dollars. The gift then also helps to support their communities in unique ways like the Stanley Area Community Foundation. When considering charitable giving, businesses and individuals should always consult their tax professionals to make sure they are doing what is best and right for their own individual circumstances.

Those wishing to donate to the Stanley Area Community Foundation can send their tax-deductible gift to: Stanley Area Community Foundation, PO Box 154, Stanley, ND 58784. For more information on the foundation you can contact Grace Lystad at (701) 628-3253 or John Heinen at (701) 590-4614. The local advisory committee consists of Doug Kinnoin, Jenny Gaaskjolen, Wayne Johnson, Dan Lindberg, Don Longmuir, Grace Lystad, Abbey Ruland, Ray Schepp and Ashley Skarsgard.

Organized in 1976, the ND Community Foundation was formed as an efficient means of meeting the needs of North Dakota in the educational, charitable, arts, scientific and health areas. It is a public nonprofit tax-exempt corporation which receives and distributes charitable funds to support a wide range of programs which benefit North Dakotans. The Foundation administers charitable endowment and non-endowment funds in both the restricted and unrestricted categories on behalf of communities, businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals.

Pictured above are the members of the SACF and representatives of recipient organizations. Back row, left to right are Kier Jackson, representing the SACK program; Grace Lystad, SACF board member; Rory Porth, representing Flickertail Village; and Jenny Gaaskjolen, SACF board member. Front row, left to right, are Janinne Paulson, representing the Sibyl Center; Steph Everett, representing the Mountrail County Health Foundation; Katherine Harwood, representing both the Stanley High School speech team and drama club; and Rebekka Freije and Jamie Walker-Fuller, representing Opportunity Foundation.

Bethel Chapel Finally a Reality

Stanley, ND – For more than fifteen years, there have been dedicated community members that have helped fundraise for a new and larger chapel at the Mountrail Bethel Home.  Several architect drawings and ideas have been brought to the table, but none of them transpired into reality.  That is up until last week when Matson Construction finally broke ground on the Bethel Chapel.  It is not easily seen from any aspect of the property. It will be located to the north of the Bethel Home Activities Room in the current Courtyard.  But, eventually the Bethel Chapel will be the focal point once the Mountrail Bethel Home moves into their next portion of Phase Three, the building of a new Nursing Home on the north side of the property.

Darci Faul and Dawn Evenson attended the 32nd Annual Roughrider Health Promotion Conference in Medora in late May. As one of the goals they set out to achieve is to make the Stanley Elementary School a healthier environment by encouraging students to drink more water. Mountrail Health Foundation graciously supplied each elementary student and staff member with a new water bottle.

An Open House will be held on Wednesday, August 29^th from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM for the community to tour the newly remodeled Physical Therapy Department and newly added 3D Mammogram unit.  Informational tours, demonstrations and door prizes will all be part of the fun!

In order to keep bringing services to our community, the Reiarson Trust donated money to the Mountrail County Medical Center to add a permanent 3-D mammogram machine inside the facility.  In doing so, MCMC was able to purchase one of only three Mammomat Revelation 3-D mammogram machines in the United States.

“The Reiarson Trust is very specific on what it can spend its money on,” says Derald Hoover, President of the Stanley Community Hospital Board.  “We cannot help with operations at all for the hospital or clinic, but we can aid them by purchasing different equipment for the facility.  With this machine now in place, residents of the community can stay here for this service.  That means a better bottom line for the Mountrail County Medical Center.”

“Getting a Mammogram is a unique opportunity, because it allows for early detection or peace of mind,“ states lead Mammography Technologist, Beth Johnson, RT, (R) (M).  “We, here at MCMC, are so thankful for the Reiarson Trust and its ability to allow us to have such a sophisticated piece of equipment in our facility.”

Along with the addition of the mammogram room, the Reiarson Trust paid for the remodel of the Physical Therapy Department.

“As we increase our services, such as dry needling and LSVT Big ®, we needed more room to work with our patients, “says Physical Therapist Manager Janae Maier.  “We now have three private treatment rooms to continue with our evolving treatment options.  The Physical Therapy team is excited to have all this new space to work with.”

Hours for radiology services are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.  The mammogram schedule will vary as we start up this service.  Please call 628-2424, extension 129 to check availability and schedule an appointment.  Hours for the Physical Therapy Department are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM also.  To schedule an appointment please call 628-2424, extension 146.

We thank you for your continued support.  Nobody takes care of you like your own.

An Open House will be held on Wednesday, August 29^th from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM for the community to tour the newly remodeled Physical Therapy Department and newly added 3D Mammogram unit.  Informational tours, demonstrations and door prizes will all be part of the fun!

In order to keep bringing services to our community, the Reiarson Trust donated money to the Mountrail County Medical Center to add a permanent 3-D mammogram machine inside the facility.  In doing so, MCMC was able to purchase one of only three Mammomat Revelation 3-D mammogram machines in the United States.

“The Reiarson Trust is very specific on what it can spend its money on,” says Derald Hoover, President of the Stanley Community Hospital Board.  “We cannot help with operations at all for the hospital or clinic, but we can aid them by purchasing different equipment for the facility.  With this machine now in place, residents of the community can stay here for this service.  That means a better bottom line for the Mountrail County Medical Center.”

“Getting a Mammogram is a unique opportunity, because it allows for early detection or peace of mind,“ states lead Mammography Technologist, Beth Johnson, RT, (R) (M).  “We, here at MCMC, are so thankful for the Reiarson Trust and its ability to allow us to have such a sophisticated piece of equipment in our facility.”

Along with the addition of the mammogram room, the Reiarson Trust paid for the remodel of the Physical Therapy Department.

“As we increase our services, such as dry needling and LSVT Big ®, we needed more room to work with our patients, “says Physical Therapist Manager Janae Maier.  “We now have three private treatment rooms to continue with our evolving treatment options.  The Physical Therapy team is excited to have all this new space to work with.”

Hours for radiology services are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.  The mammogram schedule will vary as we start up this service.  Please call 628-2424, extension 129 to check availability and schedule an appointment.  Hours for the Physical Therapy Department are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM also.  To schedule an appointment please call 628-2424, extension 146.

We thank you for your continued support.  Nobody takes care of you like your own.

Stanley, ND- The University of North Dakota (UND) Rural Collaborative Opportunities for Occupational Learning in Health (R-COOL-Health) Scrubs Academy is a four day/three night camp held on the University of North Dakota campus.  The Academy allows Jr. High students to learn what health care professionals do in FUN and INTERACTICE ways.  Again this year, the Mountrail County Health Foundation sponsored eight local Stanley Jr. High students to attend.  Pictured are Macee Jones, Colt Nohr, Jacob Littlefield, Kaydence Vachal, Penny Wolter, Jocelyn Vachal , Kyra Fox and Sunshine Whitney.  They joined 80 other Jr. High students from across North Dakota.

“I have really enjoyed getting to attend Scrubs camp two years in a row,” say Jocelyn Vachal. “Thanks to Mountrail County Health Foundation, I’ve gotten to expand my horizons on the medical field in learning and becoming CPR certified and many other interesting things dealing with the medical education.  I really have gotten to meet a lot of nice people and made lots of friends and wish that I could attend again.  This camp is a week of experiences that will help you see if you want to follow a dream of a medical education.  Best part its all hands on!!!”

The Scrubs Academy encourages middle school students from across North Dakota to pursue a career in healthcare. They participated in hands-on activities and received information related to a variety of healthcare professions. In addition to the experiences with healthcare professionals, the students were certified in Friends and Family CPR and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The Scrubs Academy serves as a mini-preparation program to strengthen academic skill sets associated with health disciplines, introduce adolescents to a higher education experience, and foster a relationship between the students and the University.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Marilyn Evenson of Stanley received the Outstanding Rural Health Volunteer award at the 2018 Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health’s annual banquet June 14 in Grand Forks. This award recognizes the contributions made by a community person who has volunteered to contribute his/her energy, time, and skill toward the betterment of rural healthcare.

Evenson worked for the Mountrail County Health Center as a registered nurse for 50 years. She retired in 2008, but she did not stop working. Evenson is a longtime resident of Stanley and dedicates her life to helping others wherever and whenever there is a need. She volunteers at health fairs and blood drives and makes and sells handcrafted items for auxiliary fundraisers. Evenson is actively involved with the hospital and nursing home auxiliaries. She is also active in her church and senior citizens and is an avid quilter.

Lynn Patten, administrative assistant at Mountrail County Health Center, said she can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award.

“Marilyn is an integral part of our facility,” Patten said. “She is an advocate for promoting healthcare in our community. She gives of herself so freely, not just at our facility, but also in the community, and we are all better because of it.”

The Dakota Conference is a joint effort by the North Dakota Rural Health Association; the North Dakota Public Health Association; Altru Health System of Grand Forks; the UND College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines; and the Center for Rural Health.

To watch videos of all this year’s awardees visit ruralhealth.und.edu/dakota-conference/awards/archive.